Yellow Umbrella Provisions

Just a great market. I’ve loved cooking since my teen years. I’ve had a relationship with Dave and his colleagues for several years which is built on trust and their expertise in presenting the best available fish on any given day. I strongly suggest that customers ask the simple question «what looks good today.» And then build around that. On the meat side, Old timers might recall seeing Tammy at Lukhard’s and Stonewall n the 90’s.
The meats are great. The sausages outstanding.
Today I bought fluke. And small, tight Brussels sprouts. And a fennel bulb. Last week was plump soft shells expertly prepped there.
A must market for those of you who love to cook.

Great store with high quality selections of meat and fish. Came in on a Saturday and they had a free beer tasting, sliders and oysters. We will be back!

This is the only place we buy our fresh seafood. Their food is fresh and amazing. The scallops are the best we ever had! No fillers or preservatives– just awesome flavor. You pay for what you get– quality. Dave and his staff are both super friendly and knowledgable. My only negative is that they close at 6pm.

These guys offer the freshest and best selection of fish in the city!

This place rocks! I’m so glad I finally made it to Yellow Umbrella — their fresh fish is seriously unparalleled.
My husband and I hosted a dinner party this weekend and he wanted to cook halibut for the entrée, so we figured it was the perfect opportunity to try this highly praised market. I wasn’t sure what to expect upon walking in, but what I found was a fish counter, a meat counter, and an awesome selection of cheeses, spreads, and breads surrounding these two main focal points of the shop. I wish I’d had more time to explore their offerings, but I was on a mission for halibut so I beelined it straight to the counter on the left. Not only did they have fresh fish galore, but the staff was also incredibly friendly and helpful. One of the guys even gave me suggestions on his favorite seasoning method for halibut. I told him I wasn’t the chef in the family, but I definitely relayed the message to my husband once I got home. I think we’ll likely try the recommendation next time we cook halibut (we already had the menu planned out this time around).
As others have noted, it’s definitely not cheap. But, you get what you pay for. This halibut was one of the meatiest, most delicious fishes I have ever eaten. Sure, the hubs had something to do with that, but you have to have a great product to start with in order to make something even greater! I wish I could shop here all of the time, but I think I will be reserving it for special occasions… or when I’m craving really good seafood.

You can always judge fishmongers by the smell of their store and it’s a really nice clean operation with some really fine products. Just super super expensive. Like 2 times what I’m use to…

This is a class A market with the freshest catches in Richmond. Staff is friendly and knowledgable and know their seafood. I shop no where but here.

I have been going to this store since I worked in a local Sushi restaurant. Staff has always been friendly and accommodating. They are not the cheapest but that is a good thing. This is a good thing. The selection of fish is great. You can only have salmon and tilapia for so long before you get tired of it. A selection of local and international catches make Yellow the choice for fresh fish.
Very happy they have open up to all meats and even ingredients for your meal. Very happy with their selection.

Yellow umbrella is good quality food, but you will pay a small fortune for it. I can see how ‘you get what you pay for’ comes into play here. We got bbq and brisket for a cookout we were having, when I called the young boy had to get someone else to help me mid order because be did not know prices and other information I was asking. I def was not expecting to pay $ 3.50 for a small side of bbq sauce. Nevertheless, the food is very fresh and the service was good-​I was greeted and helped briefly after I entered.

The freshest seafood sold by the most friendly people that appreciate your business. That’s as good as it gets!

I ordered hard shell crabs from Yellow Umbrella. I asked the person 3 times before ordering if they cooked their crabs on site and was told they did. The person actually told me the time that the crabs would be steamed. I wanted crabs for two days so I ordered another ½ bushel to be picked up the next day. After tasting the 1^st crab, my husband said that the crab tasted like it has been refrigerated. The next day I called to see when they would be steaming the crabs because I wanted to pick them up right after they had finished steaming them. That is when someone at Yellow Umbrella finally admitted that they don’t steam the crabs there. They get them in from MD already steamed. The person said that crabs are fragile and they can’t steam dead crabs which I certainly know. I normally get crabs from a different place where I see them steam the live crabs however this place was recommended so I thought that I would give them a try. The crabs weren’t bad– however they were not as good as freshly steamed crabs. If you eat a lot of crabs– you know the difference. The crabs weren’t cheap ($ 135 for 3 dozens) however, I was willing to pay the price for freshly steamed crabs. I would not have ordered if I had been told that the crabs were days old.

Excellent quality seafood, plus a creative array of sides, salads and even wines — all «dispensed» by a friendly, knowledgeable, professional staff. What more could you ask for? Seriously, at the risk of sounding like I’m a «shill» for this establishment, it really is a pleasant shopping experience, highlighted, of course, by the food. Richmond doesn’t seem like an ocean-​side city, but in reality it’s close to many primo seafood sources and the YU takes full advantage. Recent purchases have included Grouper, Trigger fish, Sword Fish, Striped Bass, King Salmon and Mahi-​Mahi. All wonderfully fresh. My only complaint? An absence of homemade seafood sauces… like a tartar or Dijon aoli. Anyway, I make my own, but an array of homemade options this might be a future revenue stream. Net, net… if you like seafood, and appreciate fresh take out veggie and salad options, like twice-​bakes and green beans with mushrooms, don’t miss the YB. Clearly Richmond’s best. Oh… one more thing. Price. You get what you pay for, okay?

Yes this place is pricey but do you really want to take a chance on «cheap fish». It’s either buy it here or go fishing and eat the stuff you catch. Be sure you suscribe to their emails so you know whats coming and a heads up on the annual «going on vacation» sale. Their sale was yesterday. I stood in line yesterday waiting for the place to open. Must have been at least 25 others in front of me. The stuff moves FAST.
What did I get? I’m glad you asked. Crab cheese ball (I do not share this), 2 sockeye salmon, 2 sea bass, 2 dry packed scallops, 2 jumbo lump crab meat, steamed shrimp and smoked salmon. Was it worth standing in the heat? You betcha.

For Richmond, this is definitely an above average seafood shop. The earlier remark about them just having the «usual seafood» is basically on the mark, but that’s to be expected and the quality is usually very good.
However, you do have to pay attention to what you are getting as I’ve gotten not so fresh shrimp from them when I wasn’t paying attention. If you don’t want to go out to Whole Foods, which is «hands down» the best place to get seafood in Richmond — by FAR — then Yellow Umbrella is a good second choice. You will get better seafood here then you will at Fresh Market and don’t even think about buying seafood from the grocery stores… unless you like paying a lot for previously frozen cat food.
Also as previously mentioned, it’s a family owned «joint», so if spending your money at a locally owned establishment means anything to you — and it should — then give them a try.

I can not say enough nice things about this place. Great service, great quality, great selection (but get there early for the best selection). The staff is always chatty, knowledgable and a great help — from choosing the seafood to how to prepare it, what to eat/​drink with it. Even letting me taste an anchovy from Spain which was wonderful and nothing like what you would imagine if you only knew seafood from the grocery store. That they have great sides, fresh bread, beer and wine is also a huge help.
Downside, they are definitely pricey. And, I’ll agree with Michelle A. that the crowd is usually pretty snobby but you know what? Fuck ‘em, this is my ‘hood.

I’ve got a bit of a love hate relationship with this place. I love that the seafood is fresh. I hate that it’s usually full of snobby patrons… I love that it’s clean and the cases always look nice, but I hate that I practically have to sell my firstborn to afford a dinner for four from here. I love that the staff is friendly, I hate that sometimes I have to wait while the friendly staff is friendly with the people in front of me.
If I were rich, I’d be here on a regular basis but as it stands I can only hop in once in a blue moon. But I do think it’s one of the best seafood places in the city, and if you are good at cooking at home and you like quality ingredients, this is the place to shop.
Oh and PS– sometimes this place is easy to miss– its in the second strip of shops down Patterson if you are standing at the intersection between Libbie and Patterson. Look hard, you’ll see the sign.

I was a bit disappointed with my last visit here. This used to be my go to seafood market after PT Hastings took a turn downhill but when I went in a couple of weeks ago I found an extremely scarce selection of the typical B-​List seafood. Tuna, Salmon, Catfish, Snapper, all the usual suspects but nothing exciting. What happened to the unique and rare orders for people like me that live outside of the box? Surely SOMETHING is available fresh that isn’t an everyday purchase.
Also, the prices were OUTRAGEOUS this go around. $ 70 for a side of salmon, weighed about 6lbs and I even said leave the skin on and I’ll filet it myself no problem. Way to expensive to justify.

Awesome place to buy fish. The guys behind the counter are indispensable and know alot about their product. Haven’t seen fish this pretty since I was home in New England

I must agree. If you love seafood as much as I do, Yellow Umbrella is the place to go. It’s located off of Patterson on the back side of a small shopping center. You should turn off of Patterson onto Glenburnie Rd (the same road the post office is on) and Yellow Umbrella is on the left.
But anyways, everything we have gotten here has been amazing and sooo fresh. The guys who work here are super helpful and so nice. They’re always eager to help or suggest something great. I HIGHLY recommend it.

I’m not gonna even mess around with making this review fancy, because this place means business. The Yellow Umbrella is a father and son operation that catches fresh fish to sell to you. For anything that they can not catch themselves, they have reliable connections that get you the best fresh fish available. Oysters, crab, caviar, and anything else from the sea. Anyone that loves to cook fish MUST get to know this place… just like anyone who’s into meat must know Belmont Butchery*. If you’re in a pinch, they have some wines and lemons as well!
*see review below.